Eight local teams, 120 kids already signed up for first-year
program
GILROY – The youth of Gilroy is stepping up to the plate this summer with help from the Junior Giants Baseball Program. For the first time ever Gilroy has a league, and is already carrying eight teams with more than 120 youngsters, who are already practicing their skills to prepare for the season. Opening Day festivities will kick off this Saturday July 12, at Las Animas Park. The deadline for sign ups has been extended to Saturday, so there is still time to get your kids involved.
Gabriel Duenas, assistant director for the Mexican American Community Services Association, (MACSA) heads up the league in Gilroy and said the Junior Giants was strongly needed.
“We work with some of the most disadvantaged kids in this city and they’re learning all sorts of skills through baseball,” he said. “I remember playing ball as a kid and to this day there are still things my coaches said to me that will stick in my mind forever.”
Although it’s the first year for Gilroy, the Junior Giants program has been helping kids throughout Northern California since 1994. The league is non-competitive and the emphasis is not on winning games, but on building character and self-esteem.
“The kids see the pro’s as celebrities and get caught up in the hype of it all,” Duenas said. “This gives them an opportunity to build teamwork skills and play in a league where things aren’t so individualized.”
Besides being non-competitive, parents can sign their kids up for free and uniforms and equipment are provided. This allows children whose parents can’t afford little league or have a lot of children to still play baseball all summer and be active.
“During the summer when kids are out of school, it’s nice for them to have something to look forward to during the day,” Duenas said. “By keeping kids off the streets, this program helps decrease violence and crime in Gilroy.”
The program will run throughout the summer and the kids will have the opportunity to attend Junior Giants Day at Pac Bell Park in August.
